POPSUGAR Celebrity

9 Childhood Ailments That Gross Out Parents

Apr 23 2014 - 4:33am

We've all had our fair share of disgusting moments — it's part of being human. But when you're a parent, suddenly your child's sicknesses and skin issues become your responsibility. It may not be the prettiest side of parenting, but taking care of a child also means having to tackle some nasty ailments that are less than pleasant (all without trying to get the contagious ones yourself). Which of the following has your child gotten?

Source: Flickr user Jesse Millan [1]

Cradle Cap

While not contagious or painful, cradle cap is just not pretty. The greasy patches of scaling on the scalp, which can be thick, crusty, yellow, white, or brown, thrust new parents into the gross side of parenting instantly.

Source: Flickr user Janet McKnight [2]

Pinworms

I really hope you're not eating right now, because pinworms may just be the grossest things kids can get. This description [3] from KidsHealth describes it: "After getting in your mouth, the eggs pass through the digestive system. The eggs hatch in the small intestine, and the baby worms grow and move on to the large intestine. There, the pinworms grab onto the wall of the intestine. After a few weeks, the female pinworms move to the end of the large intestine, and they come out of the body at night to lay their eggs around the anus."

I can't even . . .

Source: Flickr user eren {sea+prairie} [4]

Stomach Bug

Take a small child who cannot control his vomiting or bowel moments — which are highly contagious, by the way — and you've got yourself a rather hairy situation.

Source: Flickr user Loren Kerns [5]

Lice

Incredibly contagious, hard-to-remove bugs that embed themselves and their eggs onto any hair follicles and feed on small amounts of blood from the scalp. Need I say more?

Source: Flickr user Chez Mummy [6]

Pinkeye

Conjunctivitis is no joke. Not only is a crusty, pink, swollen eyeball kind of gross, it's also highly contagious.

Source: Flickr user Brian Leon [7]

Warts

Warts are very common among children, and these small, hard bumps on the skin (can resemble cauliflower), may look pink, white, or brown and can contain tiny spots inside that look like black specks. Regardless, it's just another highly contagious virus that parents have to fight.

Source: Instagram user roarkk_j [8]

Ringworm

I know that ringworm is not really a worm at all, but it doesn't make it less gross. This fungal infection, which can present itself as a red, scaly, itchy patch, is crazy contagious and somewhat tough to battle — and children can even get it from cats and dogs.

Source: Flickr user Gerry Thomasen [9]

Poison Ivy

Poison ivy is miserable and gross — and can the oil can be passed from one person to another. The skin becomes inflamed, itchy, and swollen, and blisters usually appear, then the blisters may become crusty and start to flake off.

Source: Instagram user nicole_dawsonn [10]

Cuts and Wounds

Children are always falling and getting hurt, and often parents have to put away their own squeamish feelings in order to help treat gushing cuts, wounds, or scrapes. Many a mama has even had to apply pressure to a child's accidental gash while rushing to the doctor.